Episode 2 – Years of Trial Reconstruction Voiceover: O Jupiter
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Episode 2 – Years of Trial Reconstruction voiceover: O Jupiter and Mars and all gods that raised the Roman Empire to ruler of the world. I invoke you, and I pray. Guard this prosperity, this peace, now and into the future!” Narrator: In the year 14, prayers such as these were heard around the vast dominion ruled by Rome. For in that year, the empire stood at a precipice. The emperor, Augustus had died. He had been a towering figure. He had extinguished a century of civil war. He presided over 40 years of internal peace and prosperity. He forged the vision and power that cemented the empire together. But the peace of Augustus came at a price. By the end of his life, Augustus had eclipsed the Senate, ruled as a monarch, and founded a dynasty that was fraught with troubles. His heirs: Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius would lead Rome through years of political terror, imperial madness, and assassination. They would reign through the distant founding of a new religion that would one day engulf the empire itself. The years to come would be years of trial, testing the endurance of subjects and citizens, soldiers and slaves: the men and women of the Roman Empire in the first century. Reconstruction voiceover: “How miraculous! We can now sail to Spain in just four days, Gaul in three days. We can reach Africa, on the gentlest breeze, overnight.” Narrator: As the first century unfolded, ancient observers were awestruck by their shrinking world. Reconstruction voiceover: “Incredibly, even Egypt is barely seven days' journey.” Narrator: For the empire that Augustus left behind was now more than a collection of conquered lands. It was a far-flung society of vibrant commerce and frequent travel. By the year 14, the people of modern day France, Turkey, Syria, Greece, Spain and North Africa were all part of Rome. They contributed to its wealth, and gained from its protection. But at Augustus' death, the family of Rome also included some troubling members: Egypt, conquered some 45 years earlier, remained an exotic land of disturbing power. Judea, added a half-century before, was a tinderbox. And in Germany, local tribes resisted full subjugation. Then there was Britain. Once, Julius Caesar had proudly claimed the island for Rome. But his claim did not hold. And at Augustus' death, Britain still lay tantalizingly beyond grasp. As he lay dying, Augustus assumed a philosophical air. "Did I play my part well in this comedy of life?" he asked. The answer was a resounding "yes." The Senate declared Augustus a god. As he passed into 1 Get More at: www.pbs.org/empires/romans 2006 Public Broadcasting Service All Rights Reserved legend, he passed the torch of leadership to a man who had stood in the shadows for fifty years: his grown stepson, Tiberius. Narrator: The years of waiting had come with wrenching sacrifice. Once, Tiberius had been happily married. But he had been forced to divorce his wife, and marry the emperor’s daughter. Tiberius complied with Augustus’ order. But his biographer reports that he was never the same. Reconstruction voiceover: Tiberius had loved his wife. After the divorce, he grieved that he had pushed her away and had great anguish in his soul. The one time he caught sight of her, he watched her with such strained and swollen eyes that an officer was assigned to keep her from his presence. Narrator: Despite his sacrifice, Tiberius had been spurned. Augustus only chose him after more favored heirs had died. And still, Tiberius’ position was insecure. The Senate was leery. Its members needed leadership but hated monarchy, and many resented the turn to hereditary rule. Keith Bradley, Professor of Greek and Roman Studies, University of Victoria: Tiberius was in an impossible situation. He did not expect to become emperor, originally. He was not Augustus' first choice. He was not Augustus. He had not accomplished what Augustus had. So the negotiation of his role with regard to those who were his social peers was very difficult indeed. Narrator: The Senate chamber was tense as Augustus’ will was read. Tiberius moved warily to claim his legacy. And he gave confusing signals. Would Tiberius assume full imperial powers, the senators asked. "No," he responded. "Which branch of government will you direct?", one member called out. Tiberius was silent. "How long will Rome remain headless?" shouted another. Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, Director, British School, Rome: Tiberius wanted power all right! The excuse for behaving in the way he does is that that is how Augustus himself had done it. He's trying to be a good Augustus look-a-like. Augustus came to power by refusing it. He feels he too must refuse. But somehow, subtly, oddly, he got the game wrong. He refused too much. He didn't convince anyone that his refusal was genuine. He only caused resentment. Narrator: As Tiberius groped awkwardly to define his role, events outside Rome turned ominous. A message arrived from the provinces: two armies on the northern frontier were refusing orders. It started among the legions in modern day Hungary and Austria, just ten days march from Rome. One disgruntled soldier voiced the bitter realities of army life. And mounting a rostrum made of dirt, he stoked the fires of resentment. 2 Get More at: www.pbs.org/empires/romans 2006 Public Broadcasting Service All Rights Reserved Reconstruction voiceover: “Old men are enduring thirty and forty years of service, many have even lost limbs. Discharge does not end it. They do the same work by a different name. And, if by some chance one survives, he is dragged to the ends of the earth and given ‘payment’ with a swampy marsh or sterile mountainside. By Hercules! Life in the legions is brutal and unprofitable.” Narrator: Gradually, the arguments struck home. Soldiers began showing their scars. Some looted. Officers were killed. With the words of defiance ringing in the air, mutiny gained momentum. Reconstruction voiceover: “Why should you obey like slaves? When will you dare demand payback if not with a new and wavering emperor?” Narrator: It was Rome’s worst nightmare. It demanded attention from the imperial family. With the new emperor busy in Rome, another family member was sent to quell the rebellion. He was called Germanicus. He was young, charismatic, and loved by the soldiers as a man of the legions. His wife had even given birth in an army outpost. The couple's two-year-old son wore a tiny army uniform. "Bootsie," the soldiers called him. In Latin, this was Caligula. The child was the darling of the Roman legions, their imperial mascot. When Germanicus and his family reached the mutinous camp, it was clear that more violence loomed. Their very lives were at risk. Germanicus consulted his advisors. He tearfully urged his wife to seek refuge with a nearby tribe. She agreed, leaving with little Caligula in her arms. Some years later, the historian Tacitus recorded the scene. Reconstruction voiceover: “A wretched group of women marched away: the commander's wife, a refugee, clutching her small son to her breast, surrounded by the weeping wives of his comrades. The wailing was noticed by the soldiers, who came out of their tents. They felt shame and pity and thought of her forefathers, and of her son – a child born and raised among the tents. They begged; they insisted that she come back. Narrator: Rebel unity was broken. Germanicus became a hero and Caligula and his mother returned to camp. Richard Saller, Professor of History and Classics at the University of Chicago: Caligula as a child in the middle of this mutiny must have seen the importance of the loyalty of the army. In fact, he had been the darling of the soldiers and he could appreciate the loyalty that the army felt to the Imperial Family in Rome. Yet he also could see what would happen if the soldiers’ expectations weren't met. They were not going to maintain the loyalty. 3 Get More at: www.pbs.org/empires/romans 2006 Public Broadcasting Service All Rights Reserved Narrator: Army loyalty, Caligula saw, was the core of imperial strength. But events would offer Caligula another, darker lesson: popularity could be a dangerous thing. Just five years later, Caligula’s father Germanicus lay dying. Poisoned, it was believed, on orders from the emperor. Tiberius insisted he played no part in the death of Germanicus. But neither did he mourn. For he well knew that public favorites could be as threatening as army mutinies. And survival demanded brutal vigilance. Governing Rome, Tiberius mused, was like "Holding a wolf by the ears." That reality would stalk the imperial family for generations to come. Reconstruction voiceover: “I must go and have a bath. Yes, it's time. I get myself some towels. I run and catch up with the others and I say to them all, ‘How are you? Have a good bath! Have a good supper!’” Narrator: Young and old, rich and poor, men and women, every day in mid- afternoon, countless people around the empire ended their work, and made their way to the baths. Reconstruction voiceover: “Labor and worry be gone! I sing the baths bejeweled with shining tiles!” Narrator: Most bath complexes were large, congenial places where all classes mingled in one of the great unifying rituals of Roman life. They included outdoor areas for exercise, food stands for snacks, and noisy attendants who offered every sort of service. Reconstruction voiceover: “I would die if silence were as necessary to study as they say. I live just above the bath house.” Narrator: The philosopher Seneca found his local bath a mixed blessing.